Leaders Who Inspire Change

Abstract

Good evening and welcome to the 74th Annual Conference and Exposition of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). I am proud to see the thousands of members, families, and friends who have gathered to celebrate the events that are occurring this week. Our theme this year is “It's All About Change.” Honored guests, members, friends, and families of our profession, we are here to celebrate our 74th Annual Conference in our historic nation's capital. We are also here to celebrate the first annual and historic meeting of the newly enacted Representative Body of the National Assembly. And we are here not only to celebrate the close of a decade and a century, but also to soon herald in the new millennium. As great as the accomplishments of our civilization have been in the past thousand years, none have been as great as those that have been accomplished in the past 100 years, such as the inventions of space travel, the telephone, television, the personal computer, the Internet, air-conditioning, fast food, and, of course, Pop-Tarts. Likewise, our Association, the APTA, has achieved great things in the past 78 years—licensure, independent accreditation, and direct access—and, most importantly, APTA has supported our commitment to our patients, to society, and to quality care. What is the magic of our profession? What makes our Association strong? What is the motivating factor that has enabled physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to work their magic? It's the answers to these questions that we need to examine as we go forward into the new millennium. Let me begin with a story. Back in the Middle Ages, a British knight was returning to the castle one evening after a long, hard day of battle. His armor was dented, his helmet was askew, and most of his plumes were …